Railway car underframe cross-bearer assembly



March 5, 1957 F. E. CHEYSHIRE 2,783,718

RAILWAY CAR UNDERFRAME CROSS-BEARER ASSEMBLY 4 Shgefts-Sneet 1 Filed Mayll 1951 //v yew Z'OR BY 6 ATTOHNEY ILG- E 1 March 5, 1957 E. CHESHIRE RAILWAY CAR UNDERFRAME CROSS-BEARER ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Shae; 2

Filed May 11 1951 IIIIIIIIIIIII III/III,

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MN D W IWV March 5, 1957 HE HI E 2,783,718

RAILWAY CAR' UNDERFRAME CROSS-BEARER ASSEMBLY Filed May 11, 195; 4 She ets-Sneet 3 BY e & v ATTORZEY' March 5, 1957 F. E. CHESHIRE RAILWAY CAR UNDERFRAME CROSS-BEARER ASSEMBLY Filed May ll, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I TIL R O T m V m ATTOR BY United States Patent RAILWAY CAR UNDERFRAME CROSS-BEARER ASSEMBLY Application May 11, 1951, Serial No'..225,8S2

7 Claims. cums-419 My invention relates broadly to railway car underframes and more particularly to a construction of railway car underframe which is cross braced for dissipating horizontal and vertical loads on the center sill to other underframe. members.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved construction of railway car underframe which is provided with laterally disposed crossbearers in position spaced upon opposite sides of the center of the railway car underframe for facilitating the transmission of vertical loads from the center sill to the side walls and dissipating horizontal impacts on the center sill to other underframe members for substantially increasing the over-all strength of the underframe.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an arrangement of crossbearers in the underframe assembly of a railway car formed from plates welded in a box-1ike structure extending laterally of the center sill and connected with the side sills for bracing the railway car underframe against appreciable deflection or distortion under conditions of application of heavy end impacts.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction of railway car underframe including crossbearersof rigid tubular construction extending between the center sill and the side sills for bracing the railway car underfraxne and resisting tendency of distortion of the frame under conditions-of heavy impacts applied to the ends of the underframe.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a construction of crossbearers for railway car underframes formed. from rolled sections arranged in symmetrical arrangement to each other between the center sill and the side sills for increasing the section-modulus over that heretofore obtainable and correspondingly increasing the rigidity and strength of the railway car underframe.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an arrangement of crossbearers transversely along the length of a railway car underframe where the crossbearers are of polygonal section and located at positions for vertical loading of the underframe and so connected with other underframe members as to dissipate applied horizontal end loads.

Other and further objects of my invention reside in the construction of crossbearer for railway car underframes and the coaction thereof with other underframe members for increasing strength of the underframe as set forth more fully in the specification hereinafter following by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway car underframe employing the crossbearer construction of my invention and illustrating the assembly of the crossbearer with other frame members of the railway car underframe; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the railway car underframe shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on line- 3-3 of Fig. 1 and showing. inenlarged vertical section aside-elevation of one of the.

crossbearer assemblies; Fig. 4 is aview similar to the t 2 v view shown in Fig. 3 but illustrating the junta-opposed positions of the parts'of the crossbearerin relation-to the center sill and the side sill; Fig. 5 is a vertical sec tional view taken substantially on line 55 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 6-60f Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective. view of a portion of'one of the crossbearers in juxtaopposed position with respect to a side sill; Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the center portion of the railway car underframe with parts broken away and illustrated in section for indicating the assemblyof the floor stringers with respect to the crossbearers; the center sill and the side sills; Fig. 9 is alongitudinalverticalsectional view taken substantially on. line 9-'-9 of Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a fragmentary plan view, of' oneof the, crossbearers and illustrating the relation thereof to the center sill, the side sills and the floor stringers; Fig. 11' is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line 1l11 of Fig. 3; Fig. 12 is a transverse sectional view through a modified form of crossbearer formed from 1 rolled sections welded along a substantially horizontal axis,

the view being taken substantially on line 1212 of Fig. 14; Fig. 13 is a view of a further modified form of crossbearer formed from rolled sections welded'along a vertical axis; Fig. 14 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view. through a crossbearer of the construction illustrated in Fig. 12; Fig. 15 is a view similar to the view shown in Fig. 14 but showing the crossbearer formed from' angle sections vertically connected at opposite sides; Fig. 16

is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 16-16 of Fig. 15 and illustrating the unequal leg-sec tions of the angles employed in this form of crossbearer construction; Fig. 17 shows a further modified forrn of crossbearer embodying my invention employing channels inter-connected at their opposite sides by tie plates welded thereto; and Fig. "18 is a fragmentary perspective viewof theform of my invention illustrated in' Fig. 17.

My invention is directed to an improved constructionof railway car underframe having crossbearers constructed" to impart substantial rigidity and strength to the underframe for facilitating the transmission of vertical loads from the center sill to the side sills and for dissipating? horizontal end loads on the center sill to other under frame members. I obtain the improved results in rail-' the transverse .center of the railway car underframe and serve to mount oversize floor supports as compared" to the aligned floor supports in the. opposite'end sections ofthe underframe. The crossbearers introduce the required rigidity .in the underframe at the area of maximum load ing adjacent the side doors of the car'with which the underfrarne is intended .to be assembled.

Referring to the drawings in detail, an'assembled rail? way car underframe embodying my invention has been shown in plan view in Fig. 1 wherein reference character 1 designates the center sill illustratedin relation to' the side sills 2 and 3 and the end sills 4 and 5. The bolsters for the'underframe are shown at 6 and '7 in their relative locations with respect to the other members of the underframe, including the crossties 8, 9, 10 and ll. Thefloor supports constituted by Z-bars which extend longitudinal- 1y of the underframe are illustrated at 12 in the left'ha'nd" area of the railway car underframe, while the floor sup'-- ports constituted by Z-bars for the right hand-area of"tli'e= railway car' underframe are. represented at 14: The

Patented.- Mar. 5,. 1957:

lateral center of the railway car underframe over which the side doors of the railway car assembly are located is represented at and on each side of the lateral center 15 I arrange the crossbearers of my invention, as shown at 16 and 17. V

"Fig. 3'illus trates in side elevation one of the crossbearers from which it will be seen that the crossbearer assembly is constituted by two coacting portions 17a and 17b projecting from opposite sides of the center sill 1 outwardly to the side sills 2 and 3. Fig. 4 illustrates the parts of the crossbearer assemblies in juxtaposition with respect to the center sill 1 and side sill 3.

The crossbearers 16 and 17 located on opposite sides of the center lateral axis 15 of the railway car underframe providemounting means for the oversize floor supports 18 in the form of 'Z -bars. The Z-bars 13 are larger in section than the Z -bars 12 and 14, as this area of the car is subjected to greater stresses and strains under ingress and egress of loads intoand out of the car. To accommodate the difierent sizes of floor supports 12 and 14 on the one hand and 18 on the other hand, the crossbearers are provided with brackets at opposite sides thereof of dilier'ent sizes as represented for example in Fig. 6, at 19 and 20, secured to vertically extending spaced plates 21 and 22 forming the opposite sides of the crossbearer where bracket 19 serves to mount floor supports 14 and bracket 20 serves to mount floor supports 18.

The crossbearer is formed by the vertically extending spaced plates 21 and 22 which are spaced longitudinally of the center beam and are welded to the sides thereof and project outwardly to the side sill 3. The vertically extending plates 21 and 22 are shaped at their inner ends to mount on the top of flanges 1a and 1b of center sill 1 with their upper peripheral edges extending coplanar immediately below the top plane of the center sill. While ease-71s the. bottom peripheral edges of the plates taper upwardly from the center sill to the coacting side sill the upper peripheral edges of the sidegplates 21 and 22 serve to support the top cover plate 23 which extends substantially coplanar with the plane of the top of the center sill 1, except for the thickness of the reinforcement strips which I have designated at 24 and which provide support for the floor boards of the railway car within the area represented generally at 25 in Fig. 3. The crossbearer is enclosed atthe bottom by means of a bottom cover plate designated at 26 which is welded to the inclined peripheral edges of the vertically disposed plates 21' and 22, and which terminates short of the opposite ends of the plates 21 and 22 forming an abutment with thebottom flange of the side sill, such as 3, in Fig. 7, or 2 in Fig. 3, at the outer end of the crossbearer and in abutmentwith the edge of the flange of the center sill at the inner end of the crossbearer, as represented more clearly in Fig. 3. Both portions 170! and 17b of the crossbearer are symmetrical, so that I have designated corresponding partsby similar reference characters. In order to reinforce the two portions of the crossbearer, I provide a tie plate 27 extending laterally across the center sill and establishing welding connection with the bottom cover plates 26 of the symmetrical plates of the crossbearer. All ofthe plates 21, 22, 23 and 26 forming the polygonal hollow structure constituting the crossbearer are welded at their seams to provide a rigid structure of highsection-modulus adapted to transmit vertical loads from thecenter sill to the side sills and to dissipate horizontal endloads on the center sill to other underframe members. a

In lieu of theassembly of the crossbearer from spaced plates forming a box-like structure I may employ the arrangement shown in Fig. 12 where a pair of rolled sections28 and 29 have their adjoining edges interconnected by a welded seam designated at 30. In this arrangement therolled section 28 has a horizontally extending top supporting portion and downwardly dependingside portions 28:: which serve to support the brackets19 and 20 for mounting the two bars constituting the floor supports 14 and 18. The rolled section 29 has the bottom thereof tapered upwardly from the center sill 1 to the side sills, represented, for example in Fig. 14, at 3. The edges of the sides 29:: terminate along an incline which registers with and corresponds to the inclination of the edges 28a, so that the seam 30 inclines upwardly from the center sill 1 to the side sill 3. The rolled sections 29 of each of the coasting transversely extending portions of the crossbearer are interconnected by tie plate 27.

In lieu of the horizontal disposition of the rolled sections, as shown in Figs. 12 and 14, I may arrange the rolled sections in a vertical position as represented in Fig. 13. In this arrangement, rolled section 31 has a vertically extending supporting wall with horizontally extending portions 31a and 31b extending therefrom. Similarly, the rolled section 32 has a vertically extending portion with horizontally extending portions 32a and 32b projecting therefrom in alignment with the horizontally extending portions 31a and 31b of rolled section 31 contacting at positions 33 and 33a where the rolled sections are welded at both the top and bottom. The vertically extending walls 31 and 32 serve asxsupports for the brackets 19 and 20 for mounting the floor supports 14 and 18, respectively. The rolled sections 31 and 32 have their upper portions 31a and 32a extending in a substantially horizontal plane but the lower portions 311') and 32b extend in a plane'inclined upwardly and outwardly from the center sill to the side sills.

As illustrated in Figs. 15 and 16 I may form the crossbearer from a plurality of angle members which I have illustrated at 34, 35, 36 and 37. These angle members may have legs of unequal lengths with the upper legs thereof abutting and interconnecting in a center beam, represented at 33. In this arrangement, as more clearly shown in Fig. 16, the side legs of the angle members 34 and 35 extend downwardly and serve as supports for the I brackets 19' and 26) for mounting the floor supports. 2 The lower angle members 36 and 37 are correspondingly arranged and have their longer legs welded in a welding seam represented at 39 and their shorter legs extending upwardly in alignment with the legs of the shorter legs of the angle members 34 and 35. These shorter legs of the angle members are interconnected by plates 40. and 41 which are welded to the interior surfaces of the legs of the angle members with the angle members spread :to form a tapered structure as repre'sentedin Fig. 15, extending from a maximum'depth adjacent the center sill 1 to a minimum depth at the exterior end of the crossbearer where connection is established with sill 3. The spatial relation of the angle members adjacent the center sill is fixed by means of vertically extending flange plates 46 welded to the outside of center sill 1 and providing attachment means for the interior ends of the angle members. Two such spaced flange plates are provided for mounting both sets of angle members. Thus, a corresponding structural rigidity is secured in a crossbearer formed from angle members as has heretofore been explained in the structures fabricated from rolled sections.

In lieu of the arrangement of angle members I may employ horizontally disposed channel members to form the cross-bearer as represented in Figs. 17 and 18 where the upper channel member at 42 has its side flanges directecl downwardly and where the bottom channel member 43 has its side flanges directed upwardly in coplanar alignment with the downwardly depending flanges of the upper channel 42. The upper channel 42 serves as a support for the mounting brackets 19 and 20 for mounting the floor supports 14 and 18, respectively. The channels 42 and 43 are separated at the ends thereof adjacent the center sill and are tapered to an abuttingrel'ation at the side sill end of the structure as represented in Fig. 18. In order to maintain this tapered arrangement a pair of connecting plates '44 and 4S arewelded to the inside side flanges. of the channel-shaped members 42 and 43 asrepresented more particularly in Fig. 17 for maintaining the tapered relation of the channel-shaped members constituting the crossbearer. The exterior end ofthe bottom channel 43 is recessed at 43a to establish a keyed connection with the edge of the flange of the side sill 3.

The crossbearer construction of my invention has been found to greatly improve the operating characteristics of railway car underframes and while I have described my invention in certain preferred embodiments, I realize that modifications might be made and I desire that it be understood that no limitations upon my invention are intended except as may be imposed by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. A crossbearer construction for railway car underframes having a center sill and side sills, comprising two pairs of angle members of complementary shapes extend ing transversely of the underframe, each angle member being connected at one end with the center sill and at the other end with one of the side sills, one pair of angle members being located adjacent the upper portion of said center sill and having the top flanges thereof directed toward each other and the side flanges thereof directed downwardly and the other pair of angle members being located adjacent the lower portion of said center sill and having the bottom flanges thereof directed toward each other and the side flanges thereof extending coplanar with the side flanges of the aforesaid pair of angle members and connecting means extending between the side flanges of the angle members adjacent the upper portion of said center sill and the side flanges of the angle members adjacent the lower portion of said center sill for maintaining said angle members in alignment for resisting stresses exerted on said underframe, said angle members adjacent the lower portion of said center sill being inclined upwardly toward said angle members adjacent the upper portion of said center sill to terminating positions at each side sill.

2. A crossbearer construction for railway car underframes as set forth in claim 1 in which one of the angle members of each pair of said angle members are vertically spaced one from the other adjacent the center sill, and means additional to said connecting means extending between the aforesaid individual angle members of each pair of angle members adjacent the center sill for maintaining said individual angle members in predetermined spaced relation at the center sill end of the angle members.

3. A crossbearer construction for railway car underframes as set forth in claim 1 in which the top flange of each angle member of the first mentioned pair of angle members is interconnected in coplanar relation by welding for maintaining the flanges of said angle members in predetermined spaced relation.

4. A crossbearer construction for railway car underframes as set forth in claim 1 in which said pairs of angle members are vertically spaced from each other adjacent the connection thereof with the center sill, and in which said connecting means comprise vertically extending plate members disposed between the adjacent angle members of each pair of angle members for positively spacing said adjacent angle members one above the other.

5. A crossbearer construction for railway car underframes as set forth in claim 1, in which each angle member has one flange thereof longer than the other flange thereof, the longer flanges of the angle members of each pair of angle members extending coplanar with each other and abutting along a central longitudinal axis through the crossbearer and joined by a welded connection, and in which said connecting means are tapered plates disposed between each member of the inclined pair and the adjacent member of the first mentioned pair of angle members and wherein the shorter flanges of adjacent angles establish connection with said tapered plates for reinforcing the side walls of said crossbearer.

6. A crossbearer construction for railway car under frames as set forth in claim 1, in which each said angle member has one flange thereof longer than the other flange thereof, the longer flanges of the angle members of each pair of angle members extending toward each other in horizontal planes and abutting along a central longitudinal axis through the crossbearer, said last mentioned flanges being welded along an axis normal to the longitudinal axis of the underframe, and wherein said connecting means are constituted by vertically disposed plates and the shorter flanges of said pairs of angle members extending in vertical planes with said vertically disposed plates located therebetween in welded contact with the inner surfaces of the side flanges of the respective angle members.

7. An underframe for railway cars comprising a center sill having a multiplicity of spaced plates welded to opposite sides thereof and projecting in vertical planes normal to the axis of the center sill, side sills spaced from :opposite sides of said center sill, crossbearers each comprising upper and lower pairs of angle members, each of the angle members of each of said pairs including normally disposed or side flanges directed toward each other and constituting the external sides of the crossbearers, the inner ends of the interior surfaces of said side flanges of one angle member of both the upper and lower of said pairs being welded to one of said plates and the inner ends of the interior surfaces of said side flanges of the other angle member of both the upper and lower of said pairs being welded to the next adjacent spaced plate on the center sill, the outer ends of said angle members being connected with the coacting side sill, the external faces of the side flanges of each angle member of the upper pair of angle members carrying brackets, with the flanges thereof disposed'in parallel relationship, supports welded to said brackets and extending in substantially parallel relation to said center sill and the coacting side sill, plate members welded to the interior faces of the side flanges of said angle members, the upper pair of angle members having their top flanges extending in a substantially horizontal plane and the lower pair of angle members having their bottom flanges directed inwardly thereof and disposed in an inclined plane extending from the center sill to the coacting side sill.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 749,507 Weber Jan. 12, 1904 912,260 Paulson Feb. 9, 1909 952,028 Becker Mar. 15, 1910 2,195,821 Nystrom Apr. 2, 1940 2,242,727 Meyer May 20, 1941 

